Maya Angelou at RIT March 25

Poet Maya Angelou will come to RIT March 25 in recognition of Women’s History Month.

Maya Angelou, poet, artist, educator and advocate, has been setting words to paper and infusing them with meaning and dignity for many years.

She will return to RIT for “An Evening With Maya Angelou” as part of RIT’s recognition of Women’s History Month. She will give a keynote address at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, March 25, in RIT’s Gordon Field House and Activities Center. The event is free and open to the general public. Registration is required.

Since her last visit to RIT 16 years ago, Angelou has published numerous books of autobiographical works, written and produced plays, won three Grammy awards and presented poetry for presidents.

In February 2011, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, by President Barack Obama. It is given to individuals who have made significant contributions “to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.”

Angelou’s contributions to the national conversation about civil rights, advocacy for women and educational opportunities make her an ideal spokeswoman for Women’s History Month. Its theme this year is Women’s Education, Women’s Empowerment. Her story of courage, and her experiences in the arts, academia and within the civil rights movement, have served as inspiration to women and men around the world.

“An Evening With Maya Angelou” is sponsored by RIT’s Office for Diversity and Inclusion, the E. Philip Saunders College of Business, the College of Liberal Arts, the Center for Campus Life and the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences.

Dwight Carter, 2001

Poet Maya Angelou will come to RIT March 25 in recognition of Women’s History Month.